For Emma Raducanu, the road since her dazzling 2021 US Open triumph has been anything but smooth. Injuries, instability, and a carousel of coaching changes have made it hard for the Brit to settle into any kind of rhythm. Over the past three and a half years, she’s tried to navigate the expectations, the scrutiny, and the discomfort that followed her sudden rise. Glimpses of promise have surfaced now and then, but they were often followed by tough defeats or unfortunate setbacks. However, it looks like she has finally cracked the code. What is it?

The former British 1 has endured wrist and ankle surgeries since her debut on the tour. Her resilience, though, is undeniable. This season alone, she’s had to deal with a back injury, the distress of being targeted by a stalker, and the exit of her trusted coach Nick Cavaday. It’s been a heavy emotional and physical load for a player still just 22 years old.

Yet, despite the chaos, Emma Raducanu reminded everyone of her grit in Miami. It wasn’t just that she reached the quarter-finals of a WTA 1000 event for the first time—it was the way she got there. Eye-catching victories over top-20 opponents Emma Navarro and Amanda Anisimova proved that the Brit still has the tools to challenge the best. Although her run ended at the hands of world No. 3 Jessica Pegula, it was clear: Raducanu’s game, and her confidence, were on the rise again.

That run in Miami also marked her return to the top 50. Now she’s trying to carry that mindset into a new challenge—clay courts. The former US Open champion hasn’t played the French Open or Italian Open since 2022. In fact, her only outdoor clay appearance over the past two seasons came at the 2024 Madrid Open, where she made a first-round exit. But this time, she started differently. Raducanu opened her campaign in Madrid with a tight 7-6 (4) 6-4 win over Dutch player Suzan Lamens, keeping her Miami momentum going.

So what contributed to this shift? Speaking to Sky Sports, Raducanu said, “I think I have realized that I don’t need to be switched on for 200 percent of the day, which I am usually like and my tendency to be. I don’t need to necessarily suffer or be so down, or just be so focused. I think I can enjoy and have fun. I was playing football. I have improved a bit since Miami, and it’s nice to be able to relax, and then when I go on to the court, I feel switched on. But there is a time and a place for everything.”

And all this without a full-time coach. Although she did have some help from Andy Murray’s ex-coach and tennis broadcaster Mark Petchey.

Emma Radacanu on her “informal” partnership with Mark Petchey

While most of her peers were knee-deep in the clay-court season, Emma Raducanu chose a detour. Instead of joining the British team for the Billie Jean King Cup or entering the Rouen draw, she opted for a 10-day training block in Los Angeles. It was a move that raised eyebrows, but one that seems to have worked. In California, she was joined by Mark Petchey, a familiar face in British tennis and Andy Murray’s former coach.

Petchey stepped in as a locum coach during the Miami Open and has since become a semi-regular part of her support team. However, the arrangement remains casual. Speaking in Madrid, the 22-year-old explained, “No, we haven’t made anything formal. It’s pretty informal for now, but it’s something that’s going really well and he’s someone that I feel like I can trust because I’ve known him for so long, before the US Open when I won it.”

Still without a full-time coach after parting ways with Cavaday in January and ending a brief trial with Vladimir Platenik, Raducanu’s setup remains unconventional. Next up for the Brit is a second-round clash with Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk in Madrid. It’s another test, another opportunity, and another chance for Raducanu to show that she’s finally turning a corner. Could this be the beginning of something steady?